On Saturday last, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha traveled to the villages of Awarewaunau, Shea and Maruranau, in Region Nine, to distribute flood-relief grants to farmers who suffered during this year’s extended rainy period.
A release from the Ministry of Agriculture said that Region Nine is the sixth region to benefit from the grant that seeks to assist farmers with returning to the land as soon as possible.
“Today, we are here to roll out the government’s flood-relief grant to farmers who suffered losses during the rainy period. This flood was the most devastating flood in our country’s history. His Excellency, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said that the government would make some form of assistance available to those who suffered losses. Today, we are here to make good on that commitment that the President made. Each farmer here will receive $50,000 so that they can return to the land as quickly as possible,” Mustapha said.
He also announced that in addition to the grant, famers will also benefit from Acoushi Ant bait, seeds, and other planting materials from the ministry free of cost.
Mustapha added that the ministry will also be constructing three agro-processing facilities in the region to assist farmers with making their produce more value-added. Further, he said that each village in the region will benefit from a cassava mill to assist with processing cassava, which is one of the main crops grown in the region.
“This year, we will be building three agro-processing facilities in Region Nine. Farmers will be able to take their crops to one of these facilities, package it and make it more value-added so that they can have better prices. We will also assist farmers with securing lucrative markets for these crops. In addition to these facilities, the ministry has also purchased cassava mills that will be distributed to each village in the region,” Mustapha added, according to the release.
